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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| PMQs verdict: May puts spotlight on Corbyn with panto peroration | PMQs verdict: May puts spotlight on Corbyn with panto peroration |
| (30 days later) | |
| Key points | Key points |
| Corbyn accuses the PM of plunging the UK into a national crisis after denying MPs a vote on her Brexit deal. He says her effort to get the EU to give further assurances has failed and she is now running down the clock on the alternatives. | Corbyn accuses the PM of plunging the UK into a national crisis after denying MPs a vote on her Brexit deal. He says her effort to get the EU to give further assurances has failed and she is now running down the clock on the alternatives. |
| May says she is still working with the EU to get those assurances and says a meaningful vote will take place. She says Corbyn always talks about what he is against – but not what he is for. He should vote for her deal if he wants to honour the referendum result. | May says she is still working with the EU to get those assurances and says a meaningful vote will take place. She says Corbyn always talks about what he is against – but not what he is for. He should vote for her deal if he wants to honour the referendum result. |
| Corbyn says May is unclear about when the vote will take place, while she says she has been clear. He also says the European council won’t meet until March, so when will she negotiate with them to get those assurances before 7 January (when parliament starts to debate the Brexit deal again). | Corbyn says May is unclear about when the vote will take place, while she says she has been clear. He also says the European council won’t meet until March, so when will she negotiate with them to get those assurances before 7 January (when parliament starts to debate the Brexit deal again). |
| May says Corbyn can get as angry as he likes but it does not hide the fact that he has no Brexit plan. She says Corbyn must accept his responsibility for delivering Brexit. | May says Corbyn can get as angry as he likes but it does not hide the fact that he has no Brexit plan. She says Corbyn must accept his responsibility for delivering Brexit. |
| Corbyn says May is responsible for negotiating with the EU. If she doesn’t like it she should make way for someone who does. He says she is engaged in cynical stalling for time and trying to distract from a failed negotiation. He says her trade secretary, Liam Fox, said the deal may not be put to the Commons, so can May give a cast-iron guarantee the vote will not be delayed again? | Corbyn says May is responsible for negotiating with the EU. If she doesn’t like it she should make way for someone who does. He says she is engaged in cynical stalling for time and trying to distract from a failed negotiation. He says her trade secretary, Liam Fox, said the deal may not be put to the Commons, so can May give a cast-iron guarantee the vote will not be delayed again? |
| May says she has been very clear when the vote will take place. She says every MP has a responsibility to deliver on Brexit. She says 80% of votes cast at the last election were for MPs who stood on a promise to deliver on Brexit. | May says she has been very clear when the vote will take place. She says every MP has a responsibility to deliver on Brexit. She says 80% of votes cast at the last election were for MPs who stood on a promise to deliver on Brexit. |
| Corbyn repeats that May is denying MPs a vote and says they could be debating alternatives by now. He says no responsible government would allow no deal to happen. He says Philip Hammond said preparations for no deal could not be done in months. So why is May wasting £4bn on doing just that? | Corbyn repeats that May is denying MPs a vote and says they could be debating alternatives by now. He says no responsible government would allow no deal to happen. He says Philip Hammond said preparations for no deal could not be done in months. So why is May wasting £4bn on doing just that? |
| May says that if Corbyn does not want to see money spent on no deal, he should vote for this deal. | May says that if Corbyn does not want to see money spent on no deal, he should vote for this deal. |
| Corbyn says what May is doing is a criminal waste of money. She is trying to make her deal “look like the lesser of two evils”. Why is the government wasting money on no deal when the NHS had the worst performance ever for a November last month. | Corbyn says what May is doing is a criminal waste of money. She is trying to make her deal “look like the lesser of two evils”. Why is the government wasting money on no deal when the NHS had the worst performance ever for a November last month. |
| May says it would be the responsible position of any government to prepare for no deal. But if Corbyn wants to avoid no deal, he should vote for her deal. | May says it would be the responsible position of any government to prepare for no deal. But if Corbyn wants to avoid no deal, he should vote for her deal. |
| Corbyn says May is dithering and should put her deal to a vote. May says it is rich for Corbyn to accuse her of dithering when he said he would call a no-confidence vote, then didn’t, then did but to no effect. It is Christmas, and it’s panto season. Will he table a no-confidence motion? Oh yes he will, oh no he won’t. (Tory MPs join in, but not quite as loudly perhaps as might have been expected.) Using another panto line, May says Corbyn needs to look behind him. Labour MPs are not impressed. | Corbyn says May is dithering and should put her deal to a vote. May says it is rich for Corbyn to accuse her of dithering when he said he would call a no-confidence vote, then didn’t, then did but to no effect. It is Christmas, and it’s panto season. Will he table a no-confidence motion? Oh yes he will, oh no he won’t. (Tory MPs join in, but not quite as loudly perhaps as might have been expected.) Using another panto line, May says Corbyn needs to look behind him. Labour MPs are not impressed. |
| Snap verdict | Snap verdict |
| By the binary and impressionistic standards by which this knockabout is judged, at least by the MPs who participate in it, if not by more scrupulous observers, May comfortably won with her panto peroration. It worked, not because it was especially witty, but because it contained an essential truth; Labour has equivocated this week, talking up a “no-confidence challenge” while not doing what was necessary to make the threat operable. | By the binary and impressionistic standards by which this knockabout is judged, at least by the MPs who participate in it, if not by more scrupulous observers, May comfortably won with her panto peroration. It worked, not because it was especially witty, but because it contained an essential truth; Labour has equivocated this week, talking up a “no-confidence challenge” while not doing what was necessary to make the threat operable. |
| Until then, it had been relatively even matched. Corbyn focused on May’s decision to delay to the Brexit vote, making the wholly plausible argument that her chances of getting new assurances seem slight and that she seems to be “running down the clock”. | Until then, it had been relatively even matched. Corbyn focused on May’s decision to delay to the Brexit vote, making the wholly plausible argument that her chances of getting new assurances seem slight and that she seems to be “running down the clock”. |
| But it is a process argument that was well rehearsed on Monday. Corbyn’s best moment was when he asked May to give a cast-iron guarantee that the vote would not be delayed again. May did not give a categorical answer (she just said she has been clear when the vote would take place) and it was not obvious whether this was just her usual aversion to giving a direct answer, or whether she was leaving herself wriggle room for another postponement. | But it is a process argument that was well rehearsed on Monday. Corbyn’s best moment was when he asked May to give a cast-iron guarantee that the vote would not be delayed again. May did not give a categorical answer (she just said she has been clear when the vote would take place) and it was not obvious whether this was just her usual aversion to giving a direct answer, or whether she was leaving herself wriggle room for another postponement. |
| But to exploit evasions of this kind, you really have to press again, with a forensic follow-up, and Corbyn failed to do that. His point about the £4bn being “wasted” on no-deal planning was effective. (The government claims that money is for Brexit planning generally, not just no-deal planning, but that argument has not been made to the public, and so Corbyn’s argument will resonate.) | But to exploit evasions of this kind, you really have to press again, with a forensic follow-up, and Corbyn failed to do that. His point about the £4bn being “wasted” on no-deal planning was effective. (The government claims that money is for Brexit planning generally, not just no-deal planning, but that argument has not been made to the public, and so Corbyn’s argument will resonate.) |
| But May also had a half-decent riposte, with her line about how Labour could back the deal if it finds no-deal so unpalatable. | But May also had a half-decent riposte, with her line about how Labour could back the deal if it finds no-deal so unpalatable. |
| Memorable lines | Memorable lines |
| Jeremy Corbyn: | Jeremy Corbyn: |
| The prime minister has plunged this country into a national crisis. She refused parliament the right to vote on her deal. She said she did that to seek further assurances. She failed. She is now claiming she is still seeking those assurances while all the time running down the clock on the alternatives. | The prime minister has plunged this country into a national crisis. She refused parliament the right to vote on her deal. She said she did that to seek further assurances. She failed. She is now claiming she is still seeking those assurances while all the time running down the clock on the alternatives. |
| Theresa May: | Theresa May: |
| They said they would put down a vote of no-confidence, then they said they wouldn’t, then they did, then it wasn’t effective. I know it’s Christmas, it’s the pantomime season but what do we see from the Labour frontbench: he’s going to put a confidence vote ... oh yes he is, oh no he isn’t. I’ve got some advice for him. Look behind you. They’re not impressed and neither is the country. | They said they would put down a vote of no-confidence, then they said they wouldn’t, then they did, then it wasn’t effective. I know it’s Christmas, it’s the pantomime season but what do we see from the Labour frontbench: he’s going to put a confidence vote ... oh yes he is, oh no he isn’t. I’ve got some advice for him. Look behind you. They’re not impressed and neither is the country. |
| PMQs | PMQs |
| Brexit | Brexit |
| Theresa May | Theresa May |
| Jeremy Corbyn | Jeremy Corbyn |
| House of Commons | House of Commons |
| analysis | analysis |
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